The planes hit the towers in a rampage of destruction. On Sept. 11, tragedy swept on a nation in cries of fear and loss. The day before, a teenage girl in Maine received devastating news – she was diagnosed with synovial cell sarcoma, a life-threatening illness soft-tissue cancer.

The timing of these heart-wrenching events was not lost on 18-year-old Brandi. So when it came time for a wish, Brandi knew she wanted nothing else than to receive hope by giving hope for the victims of 9/11. She wanted to deliver guardian angel pins to children and families who lost loved ones that day – a wish that grabbed at the hearts of many Americans.

“When I got sick, I was given a lot of guardian angel pins,” Brandi says. “I believe they helped me in my battle against my illness. I hope these pins will bring comfort to other people who received devastating news just one day after I received my diagnosis.”

With the collaboration of Make-A-Wish® Maine and Make-A-Wish® Metro New York Brandi was on her way to New York City.

In the Big Apple, Brandi tours the FDNY headquarters, FDNY Ladder 11, the NYC Police Department headquarters, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and New York Public School IS 289 – agencies most affected by the terrorist attacks.

While there, Wish volunteers provide Brandi with pins to present to the firefighters, officers, widows and students she meets. Brandi gets to know the FDNY Ladder 11 firehouse as she sits down with them for lunch and then talks to sixth graders who attend school just blocks from Ground Zero. She connects to their loss as they connect to hers. Their shared personal encounters of tragedy enable them to help each other through the healing process, to lean on each other as they all reach out for the slightest grasp of hope and strength to move forward.

This is Brandi’s wish experience, her personal goal to share the power of a wish®.

When I got sick, I was given a lot of guardian angel pins. I believe they helped me in my battle against my illness. I hope these pins will bring comfort to other people.”